Alexandria police will be stepping up enforcement of school zone speed limits near Alexandria City High School's two campuses starting Monday.
The schools, on Braddock Road and on King Street, will have police enforcing the 15 mph speed limit during the day in addition to during arrival and dismissal. The reason: Students are walking between the two campuses during the day to get to various classes. While other school zones in the area have speed enforcement cameras, the high school zones do not. (City staff is currently working on expanding the program, but they have not announced additional camera locations yet.)
This is the first year that such a significant number of students need to transfer from one campus to the other during the day, which has presented new challenges for students, teachers and ACPS transportation and security officials. According to reporting by ACHS student newspaper Theogony, about 1,600 students per day have to transfer from one campus to another (with some students making the transfer more than once per day, depending on their schedule).
The school system has made 10 to 15 buses available for the trip between the two campuses, an increase since the start of the school year, and there are rules that require students to use those buses. However, students have complained that the wait for those buses and security lines at both campuses makes students late to class routinely. In response, some students are choosing to walk instead of ride the buses.
Theogony reported, "In addition to causing students to miss instructional time, walking between campuses has emerged as a significant safety concern."
Earlier this week, School Board and City of Alexandria leaders met to discuss the issue. Students who choose to walk must navigate the heavily-used, six-way intersection at King Street, Braddock Road and Quaker Lane, which isn't exactly pedestrian-friendly. Any overhaul of the intersection is years away and would cost millions.
For now, increased enforcement of the 15 mph speed limit may help.
